one fat kitten/cat, one skinny

hi, all.

I have two 8-month-old kittens who are still growing.

One is FAT and one is thin. They are litter mates and play all day.

The thin one eats until he's satisfied and walks away. They have their own bowls. The other cat will eat his food AND finish off the thin cat's food. I can't always be around to monitor, so I don't know how much each cat is eating.

They are still on kitten food. my vet suggested putting them on regular cat food when they are nine months, instead of a year. he said the kitten food is high in calories. he also suggested I give them a little less than the low end of what the kitten chow feeding directions recommend.

the vet said it's common for people who have two cats -- one will be fat, the other thin.

does anyone have any advice for me in feeding my cats, so that I can get one to lose weight without starving the other?

thanks!

Are they eating wet food, dry food, or a combination?

they're eating dry -- purina kitten chow.

OK, well its not uncommon for cats to become overweight on all dry food diets - and by leaving it out your letting each cat determine the portion they will eat. I would suggest gently transitioning them to a diet that emphasizes wet food in specific portions and de-emphasizes dry food. Cats did not evolve to eat dry food, dry food was created by humans. Please look at these articles for more info:

http://www.catnutrition.org/Catkins.htm
http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4.php